Vehicle.



V PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. L. NORMAN. I

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR: w J m WITNESSES:

L. NORMAN. VEHICLE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 20, 1904.

if :(1All x m A INVENTOR OQ-KLLJW/ WITNES SE3 UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

LIONEL NORMAN, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS;

VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,302, dated January 3, 1905. v I Application filed May 20, 1904. Serial No. 208,819.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIONEL NORMAN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in vehicles, particularly to vehicles for traveling over ice and snow or other surfaces affording insufiicient traction for propulsion by driving-wheels.

One object of the present invention is to produce a vehicle of the class described having improved propelling devices arranged to engage the road surface positively during their propelling movements and to offer no substantial impediment to the progress of the vehicle during their inoperative'periods.

Another object of the invention is .to produce improved means for reversing the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to produce an improved pedal mechanism for actuating the propelling devices.

Another object of the invention is to produce an improved brake for vehicles of the class described.

Further objects of the invention will be noted in connection with the description of the illustrated embodiment thereof.

To the above ends the invention consists in the improved vehicle hereinafter shown and described in its preferred form, and more particularly defined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the vehicle with parts removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of one of the propelling devices and the parts immediately connected therewith. Fig. 4: is a detail view of the pedal mechanism. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of part of the reversing mechanism, and Fig. 6 is an end view of the brake-shoe.

As illustrated, theinvention is embodied in a sleigh or sled adapted to be driven by footpower. The sleigh has a body which is supported on runners and contains the actuating mechanism and a seat for the operator. The forward runners are arranged to steer the sleigh by a familiar form of mechanism, which need not be described.

The propelling mechanism comprises propolling devices D, which engage the road-surface. Means are provided for reciprocating these devices, and they are supported and arranged to grip the road-surface during motion in one direction and to move freely over the surface during motion in the opposite direction or while standing still or moving less rapidly than the vehicle is progressing. Owing to this arrangement, the propelling devices when inoperative do not impede the progress of the vehicle, which may therefore coast freely. The propelling devices have shoes d, which are serrated to increase their hold upon the roadsurface, and the serrations are inclined, so as to hold only in one direction. The propelling devices are pivoted at (Z to supporting-stems ti, carried by cross-heads A, which move on horizontal guides G, secured to the framework of the body.

' When one of the cross-heads is moving backward, the propelling device D swings forward upon its pivot until the buffer (Z in its forward end contacts with the bracket 6Z7, supported by the cross-head. In this forward position the straight serrated part of the shoe (Z is pressed firmly against the ground and causesthe propelling device to drive the vehicle forward; but when the cross-head is moving in the opposite direction or when it is standing still or under any circumstance the propelling device is moving forward relatively to the road-surface the propelling device is swung backward upon its pivot by the passage of the road-surface thereunder and its forward smooth rounded portion bears against the road-surface, so that the propelling device ofiers no substantial resistance to the motion of the vehicle. The pivotal arrangement also permits the propelling devices to accommodate themselves to some extent to inequalities in the road-surface during their propelling movement by remaining in a somewhat tilted position at such times when the part of the road-surface at which they are in contact is above the normal level.

Any convenient source of power may be used for actuating the cross-heads; but in the illustrated embodiment of the invention they are actuated by footpower, the following means being used: Connecting-rods B are pivoted to the cross-heads and to cranks (J, fixed upon a horizontal shaft journaled in the frame of the vehicle. The shaft is rotated by a sprocket K which is connected by a sprocket-chain with a sprocket K, journaled upon the frame of the machine. The sprocket K carries two ratchets t fixed to opposite sides of the sprocket. Pedal-cranks t, journaled at the axis of the ratchets, rotate the sprocket by means of spring-pressed pawls 25, carried in arms 6 secured at right angles to the pedal-cranks. In order that the pedals may move simultaneously in opposite directions, the pedal-cranks carry arms t extending the one upward and the other downward and connected by connectingrods 25 with cranks t", fixed to a rock-shaft t journaled in the frame of the vehicle. This arrangement permits an up-and-down movement of the pedals of any convenient amplitude within one hundred and eighty degrees, which is converted by the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism to a rotary movement.

The means for reversing the direction of motion of the vehicle are constructed as follows: The supporting-stems d", upon which the propelling devices are carried, are secured to hollow shafts a, which turn in sleeves a, fixed to the cross-heads A. Thehollow shafts a carry bevel-pinions a, fixed to their upper extremities. The pinions a mesh with bevelpinions a, journaled in brackets a, fixed to the cross-heads A. Horizontal shafts lb, journaled in the frame of the vehicle, pass through the gears a" and are rotatively connected therewith by keys at, fixed to the gears and engaging longitudinal slots in the shafts 72 The shafts carry crank-arms b and it" at their rear ends, which are connected by a link it. A pin [6 fixed in the link it, is engaged by the slotted end of a lever-arm 7L fixed toa horizontal shaft 73, which is journaled in the frame of the vehicle and carries at its forward end a hand-lever 7L5. When the handlever is moved to the left of its normal vertical position, (shown in Fig. 5,) the shafts it are partially rotated by the connections described, thereby turning the gears a and a and turning the propelling devices about their vertical axes through one hundred and eighty degrees. hen in this position, the propelling devices act to propel the vehicle backward, making idle strokes during their forward movement. By these means the direction of motion of the vehicle may be reversed without reversing the motion of the pedal mechanism or other source of power. This arrangement is also useful to prevent the vehicle from running downhill when stopped on a downward incline.

The brake comprises a shoe F, pivotally connected at f to a lever f pivoted on the frame of the vehicle. A link f connects the lever f with a crank-armf", fixed to a shaft f which carries at its outer end an arm f which is connected by a pin-and-slot connection with a hand-lever f arranged within convenient reach of the operator. By these means the brake-shoe F may be forced with any desired pressure against the road-surface. The brake-shoe has a broad serrated surface, which is preferably divided into several separated portions, as shown in Fig. 6. The pivotal connection between the brake-shoe and the lever f permits the brake-shoe to accommodate itself to inequalities in the road-surface so as always to have a full and effective bearing thereon.

Since the propelling devices when in their operative position are supported in positive vertical relation to the body of the vehicle, they will always be pressed unyiel dingly against the road-surface, so that whatever its nature they will take firm hold upon it and propel the vehicle; but it is sometimes desirable to adjust the vertical position of the propelling devices to vary the force with which they are pressed against the road-surface according to the nature of the surface over which the vehicle is to travel. To this end the stems cl are secured in the shafts a by a screw-threaded connection, as shown in Fig. 3, lock-nuts a being provided to fix them firmly in adjusted position.

Although the illustrated embodiment of the invention is a sleigh having runners, the invention is not limited to a vehicle of this class, since the novel form of propelling means may be used in connection with wheeled or other vehicles, and the claims, except where expressly limited to a sleigh, are intended to cover the application of the propelling means as defined therein to vehicles of any class to which they may be applicable.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. A sleigh, having, in combination, runners, power mechanismcarried thereby, propelling means engaging the road-surface and actuated by the power mechanism, and means for reversing the operation of the propelling means so that the sleigh may be driven either forward or backward.

2. A sleigh, having, in combination, runners, power mechanism carried thereby and arranged to operate constantly in one direction, propelling means engaging the road-surface and actuated by the power mechanism, and means for reversing the direction of operation of the propelling means independently.

of the power mechanism, to reverse the direction of motion of the sleigh.

3. A vehicle, having, in combination, supporting means, power mechanism carried thereby, reciprocating propelling means engaging the road-surface and acting to propel the vehicle during motion in one direction, and to move freely over the road-surface during return motion, and means for reversing the direction of operation of the propelling means to reverse the direction of motion of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle, having, in combination, supporting means, power mechanism carried thereby, reciprocating propelling means engaging the road-surface and having inclined projections for increasing the traction of the propelling means, and means for reversing the direction of inclination of the projections to reverse the direction of operation of the propelling means.

5. A vehicle, having, in combination, supporting means, power mechanism carried thereby, reciprocating propelling devices actuated by the power mechanism and pivotally mounted so as to engage the road-surface firmly during motion in one direction, and to yieldand move freely thereover during return motion, and means for reversing the propelling devices to reverse the direction of motion of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle, having, in combination, horizontal slide-guides, slides moving thereon, propelling devices carried by the slides and arranged to engage the road-surface and to propel the vehicle during motion in one direction and to move freely over the road-surface during return motion, means for reciprocating the slides, and means for turning the propelling devices with relation to the slides to reverse the direction of motion of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle, having, in combination, propelling devices engaging the road-surface, means for reciprocating the propelling devices, pivotal supports for the propelling de vices, and means for limiting the movement of the propelling devices about their pivotal supports.

8. A vehicle, having, in combination, a body, propelling devices engaging the road- .surface, supports for the propelling devices having fixed vertical relation to the body of the vehicle, means for reciprocating the supports, and pivotal connections between the propelling devices and the supports located directly above the propelling devices so that when the latter are swung backward about such connections they bear against the roadsurface with substantially diminished weight.

9. A vehicle, having, in combination, propelling devices engaging the road-surface and having serrated straight portions and rounded forward portions, means for reciprocating the propelling devices, and pivotal connections between said means and devices located substantially concentric with the rounded forward portions of the said devices so that the devices may swing backward to throwtheir serrated portions out of contact with the roadsurface.

10. A vehicle, having, in combination, a body, propelling devices engaging the roadsurface, supports for the propelling devices acting to hold them positively in vertical relation to the body, and means for adjusting the supports vertically to vary the pressure of the propelling devices against the road-surface.

In testimony'whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LIONEL NORMAN. 

